A number of compounds encompassed within compounds of the formula: ##STR2## wherein W is hydrogen or lower alkyl;
X is lower alkyl; PA1 Y is an oxygen atom or NR.sup.1 ; PA1 R.sup.1 is hydrogen, lower alkyl, lower alkoxycarbonyl or lower alkoxycarbonyl-lower alkyl; PA1 Z is either aryl or heteroaryl or aryl or heteroaryl substituted by one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of halo, cyano, nitro, lower alkyl, halo-lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, halo-lower alkoxy, COR.sup.2, OCOR.sup.2, CO.sub.2 R.sup.2, OR.sup.2, S(O).sub.n R.sup.2, NR.sup.2 R.sup.3, N(R.sup.4)COR.sup.5, Ar, Ar-lower alkyl, Het, Het-lower alkyl and on adjacent carbon atoms lower alkylenedioxy; PA1 R.sup.2, R.sup.3, R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 are individually hydrogen, lower alkyl, Ar, Ar-lower alkyl, Het or Het-lower alkyl substituents; or R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 together represent the group --CH.dbd.CH--CH.dbd.CH-- or --CH.dbd.N--CH.dbd.CH--; PA1 Ar is aryl or aryl substituted with at least one halo, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy or nitro substituent; PA1 Het is heteroaryl or heteroaryl substituted by one or more halo, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy or nitro substituents; and PA1 n stands for 0, 1 or 2 PA1 X is lower alkyl; PA1 Y is oxygen or NR.sup.1 ; PA1 R.sup.1 is hydrogen, lower alkyl, lower alkoxycarbonyl or lower alkoxycarbonyl-lower alkyl; PA1 Z' is either aryl or heteroaryl, where the aryl and heteraryl: PA1 R.sup.2, R.sup.3, R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 each individually are hydrogen, lower alkyl, Ar, Ar-lower alkyl, Het or Het-lower alkyl substituents; or R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 taken together form --CH.dbd.CH--CH.dbd.CH-- or --CH.dbd.N--CH.dbd.CH--; PA1 Ar is aryl or aryl substituted with at least one halo, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy or nitro substituent; PA1 Het is heteroaryl or heteroaryl substituted with at least one halo, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy or nitro substituent; and PA1 n is 0, 1 or 2, with the proviso that a) when W and X is methyl and Y is an oxygen, then Z is not 2,4-dihydroxy-phenyl, 3,4-dimethoxy-phenyl, 4-benzyloxy-3,5-dimethoxy-phenyl, 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxy-phenyl, 3-hydroxy-4-methoxy-phenyl, 3,5-dichloro-2-hydroxy-phenyl, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-phenyl, 3,4-methylenedioxy-phenyl or 2,4,5-trimethoxy-phenyl; and PA1 X is lower alkyl; PA1 Y is an oxygen atom or NR.sup.1 ; PA1 R.sup.1 is hydrogen, lower alkyl, lower alkoxycarbonyl or lower alkoxycarbonyl-lower alkyl; PA1 Z is either aryl or heteroaryl or aryl or heteroaryl substituted by one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of halo, cyano, nitro, lower alkyl, halo-lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, halo-lower alkoxy, COR.sup.2, OCOR.sup.2, CO.sub.2 R.sup.2, OR.sup.2, S(O).sub.n R.sup.2, NR.sup.2 R.sup.3, N(R.sup.4)COR.sup.5, Ar, Ar-lower alkyl, Het, Het-lower alkyl and on adjacent carbon atoms lower alkylenedioxy; PA1 R.sup.2, R.sup.3, R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 are individually hydrogen, lower alkyl, Ar, Ar-lower alkyl, Het or Het-lower alkyl substituents; or R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 together represent the group --CH.dbd.CH--CH.dbd.CH-- or --CH.dbd.N--CH.dbd.CH--; PA1 Ar is aryl or aryl substituted with at least one halo, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy or nitro substituent; PA1 Het is heteroaryl or heteroaryl substituted by one or more halo, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy or nitro substituents; and PA1 n stands for0, 1 or 2 PA1 X is lower alkyl; PA1 Y is oxygen or NR.sup.1 ; PA1 R.sup.1 is hydrogen, lower alkyl, lower alkoxycarbonyl or lower alkoxycarbonyl-lower alkyl; PA1 Z' is either aryl or heteroaryl, where the aryl and heteraryl: PA1 R.sup.2, R.sup.3, R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 each individually are hydrogen, lower alkyl, Ar, Ar-lower alkyl, Het or Het-lower alkyl substituents; or R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 taken together form --CH.dbd.CH--CH.dbd.CH-- or --CH.dbd.N--CH.dbd.CH--; PA1 Ar is aryl or aryl substituted with at least one halo, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy or nitro substituent; PA1 Het is heteroaryl or heteroaryl substituted with at least one halo, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy or nitro substituent; and PA1 n is 0, 1 or 2, with the proviso that a) when W and X is methyl and Y is an oxygen, then Z is not 2,4-dihydroxy-phenyl, 3,4-dimethoxy-phenyl, 4-benzyloxy-3,5-dimethoxy-phenyl, 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxy-phenyl, 3-hydroxy-4-methoxy-phenyl, 3,5-dichloro-2-hydroxy-phenyl, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-phenyl, 3,4-methylenedioxy-phenyl or 2,4,5-trimethoxy-phenyl; and b) when W and X is methyl and Y is --NH--, then Z is not 2,5-dibenzyloxy-4-methyl-phenyl or 2,5-dihydroxy-4-methyl-phenyl; PA1 i) two or more halo, cyano, nitro, lower alkyl, halo-lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, halo-lower alkoxy, COR.sup.2, OCOR.sup.2, CO.sub.2 R.sup.2, OR.sup.2, S(O).sub.n R.sup.2, NR.sup.2 R.sup.3, N(R.sup.4)COR.sup.5, Ar, Ar-lower alkyl, Het or Het-lower alkyl substituents and/or on adjacent carbon atoms by lower alkylenedioxy; or by PA1 ii) one substituent from OHet, O-lower alkyl-Het, N(R.sup.4)COHet and NR.sup.2' R.sup.3' in which R.sup.2 ' and R.sup.3 ' together represent --CH.dbd.CH--CH.dbd.CH-- or --CH.dbd.N--CH.dbd.CH--. PA1 i) two or more halo, cyano, nitro, lower alkyl, halo-lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, halo-lower alkoxy, COR.sup.2, OCOR.sup.2, CO.sub.2 R.sup.2, OR.sup.2, S(O).sub.n R.sup.2, NR.sup.2 R.sup.3, N(R.sup.4)COR.sup.5, Ar, Ar-lower alkyl, Het or Het-lower alkyl substituents and/or on adjacent carbon atoms by lower alkylenedioxy; or by PA1 ii) one substituent from OHet, O-lower alkyl-Het, N(R.sup.4)COHet and NR.sup.2' R.sup.3 ' in which R.sup.2' and R.sup.3 ' together represent --CH.dbd.CH--CH.dbd.CH-- or --CH.dbd.N--CH.dbd.CH--; with the proviso that a) when W and X represent methyl and Y represents an oxygen atom, then Z does not represent 2,4-dihydroxy-phenyl, 3,4-dimethoxy-phenyl, 4-benzyloxy-3,5-dimethoxy-phenyl, 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxy-phenyl, 3-hydroxy-4-methoxy-phenyl, 3,5-dichloro-2-hydroxy-phenyl, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-phenyl, 3,4-methylenedioxy-phenyl or 2,4,5-trimethoxy-phenyl; and b) when W and X represent methyl and Y represents NR.sup.1 in which R.sup.1 represents hydrogen, then Z does not represent 2,5-dibenzyloxy-4-methyl-phenyl or 2,5-dihydroxy-4-methyl-phenyl. PA1 9-(4-Chloro-3-phenoxyphenyl)-3,4,6,7,9,10-hexahydro-3,3,6,6-tetramethyl-1,8 (2H,5H)-acridinedione; PA1 9-(4-chloro-3-phenylthiophenyl)-3,4,6,7,9,10-hexahydro-3,3,6,6-tetramethyl- 1,8(2H,5H)-acridinedione; PA1 9-(6-chloro-3-biphenylyl)-3,4,6,7,9,10-hexahydro-3,3,6,6-tetramethyl-1,8(2H ,5H)-acridinedione; PA1 9-[4-chloro-3-(4-pyridyloxy)phenyl]-3,4,6,7,8,10-hexahydro-3,3,6,6-tetramet hyl-1,8(2H,5H)-acridinedione; PA1 9-[4-chloro-3-(4-pyridylthio)phenyl]-3,4,6,7,8,10-hexahydro-3,3,6,6-tetrame thyl-1,8(2H,5H)-acridinedione; and PA1 9-(3-benzyloxy-4-nitrophenyl)-3,4,6,7,8,10-hexahydro-3,3,6,6-tetramethyl-1, 8(2H,5H)-acridinedione. PA1 a) for the manufacture of a compound of formula I in which Y represents an oxygen atom, reacting an aldehyde of the general formula EQU Z--CHO (II) PA1 wherein Z has the significance given earlier, with a cyclohexanedione derivative of the general formula ##STR9## wherein W and X have the significances given earlier, or b) for the manufacture of a compound of formula I in which Y represents NR.sup.1 and R.sup.1 represents hydrogen, reacting an aldehyde of formula II or an acetal or hemiacetal thereof with a cyclohexanedione derivative of formula III and aqueous ammonia, or PA1 c) for the manufacture of a compound of formula I in which Y represents NR.sup.1 and R.sup.1 represents hydrogen, lower alkyl or lower alkoxycarbonyl-lower alkyl, reacting an aldehyde of formula II or an acetal or hemiacetal thereof with a cyclohexenone derivative of the general formula ##STR10## wherein W and X have the significances given earlier and R.sup.6 represents hydrogen, lower alkyl or lower alkoxycarbonyl-lower alkyl, or PA1 d) for the manufacture of a compound of formula I in which Y represents NR.sup.1 and R.sup.1 represents lower alkoxycarbonyl, reacting a compound of formula I in which Y represents NR.sup.1 and R.sup.1 represents hydrogen with a lower alkyl chloroformate, or PA1 e) for the manufacture of a compound of formula I in which Z carries an amino or NHCOR.sup.5 substituent, reducing a corresponding compound of formula I in which Z carries a nitro substituent and, where required, acylating the resulting compound of formula I in which Z carries an amino substituent and, if desired, forming a salt.
or a salt thereof are disclosed in, inter alia, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,414,587, 3,454,577 and 3,539, 590, European Patent Publications Nos. 524 041, 369 762, 539,154 and 539,153, German Offenlegungsschrift No. 2,003,148, PCT Patent Publication No. WO 9408966 and B. Loev et al., J. Med. Chem., 1974, 17(9), 956-965 and are reported therein to have activities as anthelmintics, antibacterials, antihypertensives or agents for the treatment of urinary incontinence. No mention is made in these references with respect to their inhibition of herpes simplex virus (HSV) thymidine kinase (TK).